Cranston, Cranstoun or Cranstone is a Scottish surname originating in a clan that lived around Roxburgh in the Scottish Borders. It is a minor clan but has its own tartan and clan brooch. Notable people with the surname include:

• Alan Cranston (1914–2000), American politician from California
• Andrew Cranston (b. 1969), Scottish painter
• Bryan Cranston (b. 1956), American actor
• Catherine Cranston (1849–1934), also known as Kate Cranston or Miss Cranston, tea room proprietor
• Earl Cranston (1840–1932), bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church
• Edwin Cranston, professor of Japanese at Harvard University
• Emily Cranston, Canadian chemist
• John Cranston, colonial governor of Rhode Island
• Ken Cranston (1917-2007), former English cricketer
• Kyle Cranston (b. 1992), Australian Decathlete, 2017 World University Games Decathlon Champion
• Lefevre James Cranstone (1822–1893), English artist
• Maurice Cranston (1920–1993), British philosopher and political scientist
• Ross Cranston (b. 1948), British lawyer and politician, member of Parliament for Dudley
• Samuel Cranston, colonial governor of Rhode Island
• Tim Cranston (b. 1962), Canadian ice hockey player
• Tom Cranston (footballer) (1891–1916), Scottish footballer
• Thomas George Cranston (1877–1954), Irish chess player
• Toller Cranston (1949–2015), Canadian figure skater and artist

Fictional characters:

• Billy Cranston, a character from the Power Rangers universe
• Lamont Cranston, a crime-fighting vigilante from the 1930s series, The Shadow
• Kirk Cranston, a fictional character on the NBC daytime soap Santa Barbara
• Rachel Cranston, a female character on the NCIS
• Chuck Cranston, the lowlife boyfriend of Ariel Moore in the movie Footloose